Paul Cassell

Background

Paul Cassell is a distinguished professor of criminal law at the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law. He previously served as a U.S. District Court judge for the District of Utah (2002–2007), appointed by President George W. Bush. He is one of the nation’s leading experts on crime victims’ rights law.

Crime Victims’ Rights Act Advocacy

Cassell has been a central figure in the development and enforcement of the Crime Victims’ Rights Act (CVRA), the federal statute enacted in 2004 that guarantees crime victims rights to notification, to be heard, and to be present in legal proceedings.

When it became known that the 2008 Epstein NPA had been negotiated and finalized without notifying victims, Cassell and co-counsel Brad Edwards filed suit on behalf of Jane Doe clients alleging a systematic CVRA violation.

2019 Federal Court Victory

In February 2019 — before Epstein’s re-arrest — Judge Kenneth Marra issued a ruling in their case confirming that federal prosecutors had violated the CVRA by concealing the NPA from victims. The ruling was legally significant: it was a formal judicial finding that one of the most consequential prosecutorial agreements in recent American legal history had been obtained through an unlawful process.

While the ruling did not void the NPA (Epstein died before a remedy could be fashioned), it established the factual and legal record.

Written Work and Commentary

Cassell has published extensively on victims’ rights and has provided legal commentary on the Epstein case in major media outlets. He continues to advocate for strengthened CVRA enforcement and broader victims’ rights protections in federal law.